Ladders are often made using thin sheet metal or plastic side rails to decrease weight, though ladders can still be quite heavy. Moving the ladders between locations in tight places may require carrying the ladder in an upright vertical manner, gripping the rungs with the hand and lifting the ladder. Additionally, the ladder may be carried horizontally by gripping the side rails. The side rail edge contacts the hand along an edge line and much of the ladder's weight is supported along that line. This can be very uncomfortable and for people who work with ladders on a regular basis it can be a source of fatigue on the job. The same can be true for a vertical lift by hand. Much of the weight is dispersed across the hand with rung sides vertically loading the hand and wrist in an uncomfortable position. The weight and downward thrust of that weight creates hand disorders which account for fully one third of all injuries at work, one fourth of lost work time, and one fifth of permanent disabilities. The prevention of hand movements that may cause increasing damage or protracted injuries to the hand, wrist and elbow by grabbing, turning, or finger strikes should be minimized. It would be beneficial for the ladder carrying device to fit the hand with no sharp edges eliminating awkward hand and wrist positions by providing good hand to object coupling. Such coupling is defined as a comfortable grip in which the hand can be easily wrapped around the object.
Construction workers and other trade people, such as electricians, plumbers, painters and carpenters, often use a ladder in their daily work. To get a ladder from one location to another location, such construction workers or trade people typically carry the ladder on their shoulder, with their arm threaded through an opening between the steps or rungs of the ladder. This causes either one of the side rails, if the ladder is carried horizontally, or one of the steps, if the ladder is carried vertically, to rest on the user's shoulder.
Even clamping mechanisms attached to either the side rail or the rungs require a gripping motion that allows the ladder to be downwardly weighted on one hand, resulting in ladders being dragged. Heavier ladders cannot be dragged in this manner. The only reasonable solution is to lift the ladder from a standing position for vertical transport such that the hand can center the weight over lifting legs. Heavier ladders present bigger problems during lifting and transporting. Therefore it would be most beneficial to create a ladder lift device and carrying device such that ladders on their sides can be lifted to a more comfortable position by placing the hand over and under the ladder with a hand resting on a device holding the ladder.